The Dogahoe (Ancient Mystic Society) (2)

After a late lunch, I departed Jiri Mountain for Gyeonggi Province.

The Yusa Yukgapsin Provincial Park was created to commemorate the achievements of the mystic Woochi.

Contrary to its rather drab name, this provincial park was unexpectedly famous as a dating spot frequented by young couples, thanks to its uniquely beautiful landscaping.

The park’s operating hours were from 9 AM to 10 PM.

My invitation time was between 11 PM and 11:05 PM.

Perhaps Ho-jun wasn’t entirely shameless after all.

Or perhaps the directions to the ‘Dogahoe’ couldn’t be exposed to the public.

…The latter seemed more likely.

Though the appointed time was 11 PM, rather than arrive precisely then, I chose to fly to Gyeonggi earlier to kill time.

Following the Director’s orders, a Yokai Extermination Office staff member drove me to Dongtan Station.

“Are, are you sure this is okay?”

“About what?”

“Not wearing a hat or anything…”

I didn’t need a hat now that my identity had been publicly revealed.

Plus, I was curious how people would treat me.

Sniff sniff.

Haah.

Kkhkkhkkh.

The nostalgic scent of the city – it had only been a week.

As soon as I exited the car, the pungent smells of exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke greeted me, with the sweet aroma of chocolate-filled fish-shaped buns as a bonus.

Befitting the city center, the plaza was densely packed with people – far more than I expected.

The moment I stepped out of the car, countless eyes turned towards me.

My traditional Korean attire resembling palace guards’, my pointy yet fluffy fox ears, and more than anything else, my seven tails were enough to draw immense attention.

Since my identity reveal, cosplayers dressing as the seven-tailed fox had greatly increased.

“Hey, is that person…”

“Isn’t that Miho?”

“Probably just a cosplayer.”

“But she looks exactly the same…?”

People likely assumed I was a professional cosplayer.

However, that misconception didn’t last long, as they soon realized my true identity.

The way to distinguish real from fake is through a sense of ‘dissonance’.

Needless to say, my seven tails were real, not fake.

If they hadn’t moved, people might have dismissed me as a ‘Miho cosplayer’, but unfortunately, my tails swayed too vividly to be considered fake, instilling a sense of dissonance in observers.

They were also quite sizeable in volume – large enough to be noticeable from afar, even amidst the crowd.

My swishing tails, identical facial features to media depictions of the ‘Fox Spirit Miho’, and traditional attire made concealing my identity impossible.

“Yo shit, her tails are wagging…?”

“You think that’s a cosplay?”

“Wait, I’m sure I saved a Miho photo somewhere… Oh, damn.”

“Yeah, she looks exactly the same!”

So what if my identity was exposed?

As I expected, no one approached me for photos or autographs, merely being a nuisance.

I was not human, but a yokai.

I’m not referring to my identity, but my outward appearance.

No matter how favorably humans viewed me, carelessly approaching someone – a yokai – who looked different would be seen as improper behavior.

Of course, ‘fox spirit’ would be the more accurate term than ‘fox yokai’, but a yokai is a yokai, what’s the difference?

In reality, while people stared at me intently, none dared approach, likely out of fear judging by their shifting eyes.

…It was a bit disheartening.

I enjoyed conversing with humans, having been confined in the Inner Realm for two years.

I had inwardly hoped at least one person would greet me, but not a single attempt.

Whatever, I should just go eat.

As I fiddled with the card from the Director, pondering what to eat, a child’s cry caught my attention:

“Waaaaaahhhh!”

The child seemed to have lost their mother.

Don’t kids these days all carry phones? They could just call their mom themselves.

Or someone else could help.

“Waaaaaahhhh, mommy!”

“…”

“Huaaaaaahhhh…”

Oh, geez.

Why wasn’t anyone helping?

A child’s cry contained some kind of magic – before I knew it, I found myself approaching the sobbing little one.

“Hey, kid.”

“Waaaaaaahhhh!”

“Kid?”

“Huaaaaaahhhh!”

While not certain, I figured no child disliked soft, fluffy tails.

I turned around and gently swayed my tail towards the crying child.

And just like that:

Silence.

The kid abruptly stopped crying, as if it were a lie.

…Hmm.

Presenting my rear towards the child could potentially cause misunderstandings, but it worked, didn’t it?

As expected, the child now gazed at my tail with curiosity, as if having never cried at all.

“Wow, your tail is so cool!”

“Wanna touch it? You can.”

“R, really?”

“Yup.”

The child then began playing with my tail, nearly making me shriek when pulling it too hard.

It was an innocent action without malice, but still…

While understandably fascinated, I wished the child would handle it a bit more gently, as it was a rather sensitive area.

So should I report this to the police?

But I don’t have a phone.

In the end, I firmly grasped the child’s tiny hand and headed towards the station’s administration center.

---

“A lost child.”

“…”

The 27-year-old station staff member, Lee Mi-young, doubted her own eyes.

A beautiful face.

Fluffy fox ears.

A voluptuous figure that left little to the imagination.

And to top it all off, seven white fox tails.

There was no doubt – this was the figure currently the talk of the town… No, the ‘spirit’ Miho herself.

When Lee Mi-young didn’t respond, Miho repeated herself:

“I said, a lost child.”

Only then did the child firmly grasping Miho’s hand come into view.

“Ah, yes, yes! My apologies. What is the guardian’s name?”

“Miho.”

“No family name… I presume…?”

“Yes.”

“ID…”

“None.”

“Phone number…”

“No.”

“…I see.”

Registering someone without an ID, phone number, or even a family name was an irregular situation not covered in the manual, but Lee Mi-young calmly proceeded with the intake process.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Ji-eun!”

“Do you remember your mom’s phone number?”

“Yes!”

How admirable. Perhaps the pretty older sister’s presence helped.

Lee Mi-young then called the parents, who frantically expressed gratitude and said they would rush to the station immediately.

The call ended with ‘We want to thank the person who helped our Ji-eun’.

Lee Mi-young inwardly felt uneasy around the non-human Miho but mustered her courage to ask about the circumstances:

“I just helped because she was crying.”

“Is that all…?”

“Yes. Anyway, I’ll get going. Her parents might be startled to see me.”

“Oh, wait a moment!”

Lee Mi-young stopped Miho, though she didn’t know why.

Perhaps it seemed pitiful for Miho to deliberately avoid showing herself, despite being praised.

“The, the parents said they want to thank you in person, Miho.”

“I doubt that, they’ll probably be terrified thinking I’ll snatch their daughter seeing these tails.”

“No, no! That won’t happen, so please wait a bit.”

“…”

Unexpectedly, Miho obediently waited without a word, likely because the child was still playing with her tail.

Observing Miho care for the lost child, Lee Mi-young thought:

‘This spirit called Miho…

Is she really not human?’

Aside from her tails and ears, Miho’s speech and behavior didn’t seem very different from a human’s.

In fact, in some ways, she seemed more humane than actual humans.

---

“Thank you, thank you Miho! You’re as kind as the rumors say!”

“Yes, well…”

Surprisingly, while the mother was initially startled upon seeing me, she didn’t chase me away.

She simply offered a normal expression of gratitude and gifted me some food items.

I had planned to go out for dinner, but I suppose I’ll make do with these instead.

I returned to a bench in the plaza and quietly ate the gifted food, lost in thought.

I had thought I could never integrate into human society, with my fox tails and ears being such unsightly appendages.

Even now, while people secretly snapped photos of me eating, not a single person dared approach.

But I may have been mistaken.

Seeing the mother express sincere gratitude without prejudice…an unexpected ray of hope emerged that perhaps I could live amongst human society after all.

It might be a vain hope, but once I defeat all the ascension-seeking yokai and goblins, maybe people would start approaching me first from then on.